Fate's Eternity
by Starlover4ever
Summary: When Megatron is weak and in need of life-giving energy, the only chance he has is the last cube sliver used to re-activate Jetfire that is now in the hands of a small human girl. Will the Autobots stop their plans? Will Megatron return? Read and find out
1. Prologue

**Transformers  
...Fate's Eternity... **

* * *

_(July 24, 2010: One Year After Battle Of Egypt- 11:30 PM)_

The room was filled with shouts of fury, glass shattered and crashes could be heard a block away. The lights were on and glowed an eerie orange, lighting up part of the dark street of Tranquility. Many small, simple square houses lined the road with flickering lamp posts and old cars with police sirens off in the distance. The sky was dark with few stars shining, and the moon was a dark as it's shadow. The only house that was awake was the last house at the cul-de-sac, and few neighbors stuck their heads out to see what the source of the noise was before returning back inside, careless of what stirred in the night.

Both male and female voices echoed throughout the house, vibrating off the walls with rage and uncontrollable hatred. Glass crashed against the floor, furniture was tossed across the room to explode into pieces against the wall, and lamps were busted, knocking out the lighting in the room. The house was an utter mess, garbage and random items placed all around with no definite place to be. The fight between the man and woman only made the mess worse, as did their argument over what started as a simple discussion.

The screams were so loud, that you could not understand what they meant, but one person did. High up in her room, a teen girl with short blonde hair cut up to her neck sat on her bed, staring at the ground and listened to her parents' argument. Tears welded up in her deep blue eyes, falling every so often to hit her tattered shoes. She had few freckles around her red cheeks, and natural brown highlights streaked down her hair, and she had no makeup to contaminate her beautiful, yet sorrowful face. The tears fell one by one down her pointed nose and round cheek, yet not one sound escaped her throat that swelled with contained cries. Her heart pounded in her small chest, and her stomach churned brutally, making her head spin and her face heat up. Yet still, she did not let out a sound.

Her room was organized, unlike the rest of her home that had been infested with insects and such do to such unhygienic practices. What little clothes she had were folded nicely in her old wooden dresser that was decorated with small rocks and gifts her friends had found for her, each little gift having a big meaning. Sheets were used to cover her window, and one mirror sat on the floor to fix her hair for school. Her bed was just two old mattresses stacked, and the walls were cracked and smudged with years of no new paint. The ceiling sunk in slightly, and the one light on the ceiling was dusty and orange, threatening to go out at any given moment.

She jumped when she heard heavy footsteps come up the stairs, and her mother pleaded from downstairs. She crawled up in the corner, staring at the door while listening to the fast paced footsteps come closer. She knew her father was going to come in at any second, and braced herself for his fury. Wrapping her arms around her legs that were tucked in , she glanced at the bruises of her fore arms. One solid bruise that had fingers that wrapped all around. She tried to forget the awful memories and attempted to slip into another world where the pain was eased, but it was too late.

The old wooden door swung open and crashed into the wall, splintering the door and the hinges. A tall, heavy man with massive arms and huge boots stomped in fast, eyeing the skinny girl with anger. He had brown eyes that held hellfire raging behind them, and he breathed fast through his nose like a vicious bull. The house shook with each step, and the girl could hear her mother wail out in a desperate plea to stop, but he didn't.

The girl sunk in the corner, gasping as she saw him reach out and wrap his hand around her fore arm, squeezing it until his un-cut nails dug into her soft, pale skin.

"Daddy, daddy please don't!" she begged as he yanked her up from the ground, making her scream and trip on her own feet.

"Shut up!" he spat, pulling her out of the room.

"Daddy no!" she cried again, and he spun around, back handing her so hard the she fell when he let go of her.

"I told you to shut up! Now get your ass down here!" he screamed and picked her up hatefully as she turned her head away to cry. She had a cut on her face that began to bleed from her father's wedding ring, and the blood soon mixed in with her salty tears, making the cut sting painfully.

As he drug her downstairs, her feet struggled to pick themselves up. The old wooden stairs creaked with every hard step, and as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he threw the frightened girl into the living room. She stumbled to her feet when she caught her balance, seeing her mother sitting on the couch crying in her hands. She had short blonde hair too that looked like it hadn't been washed in a few days. Her arms also held bruises, and glass cuts on her hands.

The teen couldn't see her mother's face, and she turned to see her father shove her down on the couch harshly, breathing heavily.

"Jerry, please stop this." her mother whimpered, looking up at him with tearful blue eyes. Her left eye was deep purple and began to swell, making the girl gasp.

"Shut up you bitch! You don't ask me for another thing!" he shouted with the smell of liquor in his breath. The teen huddled up next to her mother and was instantly embraced in shaking arms.

"Its okay, Amber, its okay." her mother hushed, and Jerry picked up a glass cup and threw it across the room violently.

"No, its not going to be alright! Do you see the problem here, Terrie? Do you!" he screamed louder and the two girls hunkered down, whimpering as he held up his fist as if to strike them.

"No no no no! I don't, Jerry, please don't!" Terrie pleaded, protecting Amber with her motherly embrace.

"I work my ass off all day and I come home to this! No dinner made, no nothing!"

"You didn't work at all today! All you did was sit at that damn bar and drink until your cant tell a stripper pole from a lamp post!"

Jerry brought his hand back and Terrie pushed Amber out of the way. Amber hit the ground and heard the awful sound of her mother getting struck down, and the sound echoed in the house like her cry of pain.

"Amber, run!" her mother ordered and Jerry whacked her again before reaching out for Amber, but the tall thin girl was too fast as she darted up the stairs.

"Get back here you little bitch!"

"Leave her alone, Jerry! She did nothing to you!" Terrie screamed, holding her bleeding head as she pulled herself off the couch, crawling on the floor for the phone.

Amber rushed down the hall, hearing her father thunder up the stairs after her. She didn't dare look back as she ran in her room and slammed the door shut. She thought fast and pushed her dresser in front of the door and under the knob, making all the little gifts of stones and things fall and wobble off the top. She breathed fast and loud as she heard her father bang on the door, trying to get in.

"Amber! Open this door now!"

She ignored him as she snatched her back pack off the bed and opened the drawer in her dresser, randomly grabbing clothes and shoved them in there before grabbing as many of her gifts as possible, also putting them in with her clothes. The door began to push open and Amber opened her only window, crawling out onto the steep roof. Her feet slipped and she grabbed the nearest drain pipe on the side of the house, catching her self as she dropped the back pack in the yard. She looked down at the ground to let her eyes adjust before hearing the door slam open.

She quickly rushed over on the roof, but slipped again. She swung off the roof while still having her grasp on the pipe and slid down, falling halfway when a piece of metal sliced into her hand! She gasped and before she could see her hand, she hit the ground flat on her back, making her gasp out with short breath.

She was stunned in her place, feeling hot blood seep out of her palm and onto the cold grass. The dirt broke some of her fall as she smelled it in her hair, and her adrenaline kicked in again when she found herself sitting up. She groaned while her head spun, and heard her father race down the house, making her stand immediately. She nearly tipped over when the world shook around her, but she kept balance and snatched the back pack up before running down the street as fast as her feet would take her. He father slammed open the battered front door and sent his fist in the air, shouting and cursing loudly into the night. Amber cried and gasped, breathing in heavily with sobs. Tears felt cold against her face as the wind blew against her, and her eyes closed as she prayed to dear God that he didn't chase her.

_What would he do to her mother? What would he do to her when she came back? Could she come back? Would she come back?_

Her head spun with confusion and fear as her feet drove her to nowhere, pounding against the pavement as she wiped her face with her sleeve, sobbing into it. Time flew as the night got older, and she continued to run far away from her home. The streets were dark and the street lamps had turned off with no headlights in sight. She dashed across the road, but only made it halfway.

Then she felt something hard and cold slam against her legs, and before she could scream at the sudden pain shooting through her body, she flew off her feet and hit the object shoulder first! Her body crumpled against the object and the sudden realization occurred to her, she had been hit by a car.

She felt the hood slide against her arm and her bony shoulder hit the wind shield. Her head hit the glass as well before she rolled off the hood, fast and violently. The sound of her body hitting the pavement was almost as loud as the roaring engine of the car. Amber heard the wheels screech and grind against the road, and the pounding of her heart beat deafened her. She lifted her head slowly, feeling her head and body throb as she laid against the sidewalk on her stomach. Her back pack was under the car as it backed up slowly, igniting it's siren lights of red and blue before revving it's engine loudly like a scream of fury. Her sight was fuzzy, but she could see red and blue lights flash, allowing her to see the black and white paint job that represented the police status. She gasped and her breath was shaky and nervous when her vision cleared. The car rolled back and halted with a screech so that she could see the grill of a Mustang with the menacing white glow of it's headlights, shining in her eyes as if to blind her. Her legs were near numb and throbbing as she held her breath, expecting to see a cop step out of the car, but the car just sat there, letting the engine rumble under the hood. She blinked a few times and breathed in, digging her fingers in the ground to pull herself closer to the car.

When it hit her, it was going at about fifteen to twenty miles an hour, and she could feel the toll on her legs. She didn't know if they were broken, but she was more concerned on getting help from the cop.

She held out her bloody hand weakly, breathing in as she tried to recover after having the air knocked out of her.

"H-help." she gasped out, letting her arm fall to the ground as her head began to spin again. Her sight began to fog up, and her eyes began to close, seeing the flashing of the lights before blackness engulfed her.

"_Help…me_…"

The cop car sat there for a minute or two, letting the engine rumble quietly and slowly rolling towards the girl as she bled out on the street from both legs, her hand and her head. The car stopped again, then the two headlights that dimmed a bit began to eject out from their spot with spikes surrounding the bulbs! They came out at about a foot, twisting and observing the girl. She was still breathing, but very slowly. The headlights quickly retreated when the sound of distant footsteps echoed down the sidewalk, and the car turned off its lights all together before backing up fast then taking off down the street. The sound of screeching tires brought the footsteps closer and faster paced, and out of the shadows was a group of teenagers. Three tall, tanned, muscular boys and two girls, one Asian with shiny black hair and grey eyes, the other with red hair and green eyes. The boys all had brown eyes and black hair, each having a tattoo on the arms. They stopped where Amber laid unconscious, kneeling down.

"Damn, what happened?" one boy asked, wiping sweat off his forehead from the night time heat. He wore a gray T-shirt that was ripped at the sleeves, and the other boy leaned down, putting his fingers up to Amber's neck for a pulse. They wore almost identical clothes, bagging pants with chains and tight, ripped shirts, representing their membership of a gang.

"Was she shot?" another boy asked with a heavy Mexican accent.

"I don't know, I'm not seeing any bullet wounds, but she's still alive." the boy checking her pulse concluded.

"What do we do with her?" the red head asked, and the Asian girl kneeled down next to the boy, pulling out her cell phone to use as a flash light. She shined the bright light at the girl, seeing a bloody hand and bruises on her arms.

"This girl was abused, probably a runaway." she pursed her pierced lip and rubbed the bruises on Amber's arm.

"Well, do we call the cops?" one boy asked.

"Carlos, she just said she was abused. Her parents would pick her up in heartbeat and beat the Hell outta' her." one boy snapped.

"Well damn, Daniel, no need to get an attitude." Carlos snapped back.

"Would you two calm down? We're not even supposed to be in this neighborhood, we could get shot ourselves." the red head shushed loudly, moving her crimson hair from her eyes and pulled it back in a low pony tail.

"I know, Macy, I know, but are we gonna leave her here or what?" Daniel asked and the other boy turned to him and smirked.

"You know Vince, you can be a real dick when you want to be…"

Macy sighed and turned Amber over on her back. "Grace, what should we do with her?"

Grace sighed and looked back at the boys, running her fingers through her jet black hair, thinking for a moment. She snapped out of thinking when a few gun shots went off in this distance.

"We'll take her to my place, she'll be safe there and find out what the Hell is going on. Carlos, you carry her." Grace stood up and Carlos shrugged, leaning down to take the bloody girl in his arms.

"Daniel, I think that's her backpack, grab it." Macy snapped her fingers and Daniel stepped off the curb, snatching up the back pack before swinging it over his broad shoulder.

"Lets get out of here before we get pumped full of lead." he sighed and scanned the area before taking off with the group.

"Way ahead of ya'…" Grace answered quietly, looking back to see the shadowy figure of a car in the middle of the street about a 50 yards away, and she pushed her friends to go faster. "Go go go…" she whispered.

It was around 1:30 AM, and the teens made their way down multiple ally ways, through old buildings, past a few groups of gang members who had set fire to trash cans to socialize. Carlos carried Amber close to his chest, keeping her out of sight as they made their way down the streets of old apartment buildings. They were run down, old, and made of sun bleached bricks and old dusty windows. Grace led the way to an apartment, stepping up old iron steps that creaked with each step, and inside a hallway that ran through the whole building. She pulled out a key from her bra and unlocked a door, with the others waiting tiredly behind her.

"Dude, is she still breathing?" Daniel asked, looking over the girl. She had stopped bleeding and had dried blood on her face and all over her jeans, making Daniel come close to gagging. Grace unlocked the door and quietly opened it, letting the others go in first.

"Just set her on the couch, Macy, get a bowl of warm water and a rag and wipe off that blood. I'll call Joe and tell him what's happened." Grace ordered softly and Macy stopped, looking at the phone nervously.

"Joe? We have to tell him?"

"He's the boss, he needs to know everything that goes on, whether we like it or not." Grace shrugged and shut the door behind her, grabbing the phone off the side table next to the couch.

"But-"

"Hey, Joe helped us out, we help him too by telling him, Macy. No arguments…" Grace interrupted, and Macy sighed, nodding as she made her way into the kitchen. The room was dark and run down with metal bars over the window. A narrow hallway was on the left of the living room with three rooms. The living room was open and dark too with a large TV on the wall, and a glass top coffee table in the center of the room. A fan was spinning on the ceiling, making papers shift a little on the tables. Carlos set Amber down on the couch carefully. He stood back up and looked at his arms that was covered in her blood, as was his shirt.

"Yo, I'm gonna go shower." he said, rubbing his fingers with the scarlet blood. Grace nodded.

"Daniel, where's her back pack?"

Daniel walked around the couch and set the back pack down on the floor, kneeling down as he unzipped it.

"Right here." he said, digging into it. "Lets see what she's got."

"Daniel!" Macy hissed as she walked out the kitchen with a bowl of water and a rag over her arm.

"What? I'm not gonna take anything, she's barely got anything anyway…" Daniel spat and pulled out some wadded up clothes. Grace kneeled down too, looking deeply into the back pack and un-wadding the clothes to see little rocks and junk fall out.

"What the Hell?" she uttered, picking up the rocks and staring at them closely before putting them back into the back pack.

"She was obviously in a hurry." Daniel added, and Grace spotted something shiny on the floor. She reached over to it and picked it up with her pale fingers. It was dark gray and metallic and looked like a splinter, jagged and shredded with writing imbedded on it. Her gray eyes scanned over it, pondering the little thing.

"What the Hell is this?" she asked, holding it with her black finger nails and let Daniel looked at it too.

"Junk, just put it back." he shrugged and found some clothes that resembled pajamas and laid them on the table. Macy sat down next to them and set the bowl down too, dipping the rag into the water and ringing it out. Grace tossed the object back in her back pack and stood up.

"Well, lets clean her up and hope that she wakes up. I'll make a quick call to Joe, then lets try to catch some Z's." she said, dialing the phone number quite fast and held it up to her ear.

Macy rubbed off the dried blood gently, dipping the bloody rag in the water before cleaning off her arms, staring at the bruises sadly.

"Damn girl, what've you been through?" she mumbled to herself before wiping her forehead clean of blood. Vince sat down next to her and wrapped his strong arm around Macy's waist, pulling her closer.

"We'll find out in the morning." he whispered in her ear, and she grinned as she dipped the rag in the water.

"Joe? Hey, look, I-" Grace stopped when she noticed Amber shifting. "I got some news for you."

/_Go on_…/

"Okay, we found this girl on the streets and I brought her here to my apartment."

/_What? What if she's part of the rival gang?_/

"No no, she's not, she doesn't have any tattoos, she's just a little runaway. She's pretty banged up too." she heard Joe sigh over the phone.

/_Alright, just fix her up and get rid of her, as soon as possible_./

"Okay, thanks Joe." Grace nodded and hung up the phone, setting it on the table. "Alright, who wants to watch her tonight?" Grace asked, clapping her hands together and Macy instantly stood up.

"Hey hey, I gotta work tomorrow." she said and made her way to her room.

"Crap, so do I." Grace said, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

"I'll watch her, its my day off tomorrow." Vince suggested and Grace smiled.

"Thanks Vince, you're the man."

Vince held up his arms and flexed them, grinning with a confident chuckle.

"Yeah, I know. Check out these guns."

"Easy tiger." Grace laughed and made her way to the hallway, looking back one last time to see Vince sit down in the chair next to the couch and turn on the TV, setting his feet on the coffee table.

"Good night." she breathed and Vince nodded, leaning back in the chair.

* * *

The space was cold and dark, and no life stirred as the stars shined, giving meaning to the emptiness. It was silent and the moon of the planet Saturn held a dark figure, looming on the dark side with Saturn's rings streaked across the sky with marvelous colors. A large, crashed ship called the _Nemesis_ stayed put, littering the clean surface of the moon with stranded metal. Then, in the silence, two figures flew over the base, leaving a trail of fumes behind. One was a F-22 Raptor jet, covered in black tattoos and utterly spotless of any wounds.

The other was not so fortunate. Megatron wasn't even capable of transforming being too damaged and mangled from the battle. Starscream flew alongside him, coming in for landing as they made their way towards the base.

The gaping hole in the base was big enough for the two to fly in swiftly. Starscream slowed down, flying up as he un folded his armor, transforming swiftly and his feet slammed into the ground, sending sparkling liquid to fly up. Megatron landed soon after, and his torn feet hit the ground, and his knees buckled beneath him as he landed. He hit the ground and rolled uncontrollably before finally stopping on his back, exhausted and drained of Energon. His missing arm sparked and bled out on the floor, mixing his blood with the liquid. His other arm tried to pull himself up, and his face bled too. His one optic scanned the room, eyeing Starscream who didn't bother to help him.

"Starscream!" Megatron hissed weakly, and his second in command stopped, looking back at him. "Get the medical bots now!"

Starscream narrowed his optics and bowed to his "master".

"Yes,_ Lord_ Megatron…"

Megatron picked himself up slowly, struggling to his feet weakly. He stared at the walls that were covered in hatchling sacks like eggs. They were still functioning as they twitched and purred in their incubation, and lined the torn walls. Snapped wires and jagged metal lined the opening, and Megatron ran his finger down one of the incubation sacks, feeling the smooth surface against his claw. He watched the hatchling twitch and turn in the glowing blue liquid, and as he stared more intently at it, his finger tapped the sack gently. The hatchling opened it's red optics and stared at him, purring as it twitched again, making Megatron narrow his optics and continue down the hall, where the throne room was.

The throne was undisturbed with wires draped over like curtains, and the view of the large trench below was perfect. He ran his hand over the arm of the throne before sitting in it tiredly. He was in pain all over, close to going into stasis lock. His Energon reserves were dangerously low, and his body was terribly beaten. Primus only knows how he was able to make it to the base.

Then the sound of little metal feet tapping the ground echoed like jail bars, and he looked down to see a dozen medical bots that resembled spiders come crawling up the throne, jumping and chattering as they crawled over him and immediately began their work. They began to weld shut the wounds, making sparks fly from the wounds. Megatron hissed and growled at the sharp, splintering pains, wincing as the bots tore apart damaged wires and welding sensitive nerves back together.

He was close to ripping them apart, but the pain would do him good as he sat back and relaxed. Soon, Starscream cautiously approached his master's throne, bowing at Megatron's feet.

"Anything else I can do for you, _master_?" he spoke deeply, loathing his servitude towards such a waist of metal. Megatron hissed at more pain, grasping the arm of the chair.

"Do not be a fawner, Starscream, it deeply irritates me." Megatron growled angrily, and Starscream chuckled nervously, backing up.

"A-as you wish, Megatron."

"Tell me, Starscream, what is your purpose to me?" Megatron asked, and Starscream widened his optics, nervously looking around as he stepped towards the back of the throne.

"I uh, I am here to serve you, ovcoarse." he uttered. Megatron nodded and bared his sharp teeth.

"Yes, you are here to serve me, and do you know what is happening at this point in time, Starscream?"

Starscream took a moment to think, afraid to say anything as he circled around the throne.

"The Decepticons are retreating?"

"NO!" Megatron shouted, slamming his fist into the arm of the chair and making Starscream wince. "What is happening is that I am losing my strength, and I require energy. Energon is what I need, Starscream, and you are going to find some."

Starscream looked dumbfounded as he looked all around the trashed base, rubbing the back of his helm.

"H-how? There is no Energon." Starscream answered finally, and Megatron laughed.

"Then find some, there must be something out there that can bring me back."

Indeed there was, and Starscream knew it too. He knew something that Megatron didn't, and it was deeply dangerous. He preferred to keep it to himself at this point, and just agreed.

"Yes, Megatron. I will find a solution to your problem, just rest and I will take command-"

"No you will not! Even in my condition, you will abide by my orders and I will call the shots, Starscream! No one else!" Megatron snapped and Starscream growled under his chest, clenching his fist tightly.

"As you command…"

Starscream would get what he wanted soon, all he needed was time, and the will to exercise patience…

* * *

_This is my newest story and has nothing to do with the Last Destiny or The Last Hope. I hope you all will come to enjoy this, I'm trying to step up my game._

_(Passes cookie/review jar around) This will be more of a mature story and less author's notes. Please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed as well._


	2. Rivalry

(_Four Years Later..._)

The roar of a well played guitar rocked all throughout the room, filling the air with sweet music of hard drum beats and a steady base, all combined into one beautiful tone. The room itself was dark with lights on a small stage, and many people came up to the stage to see two girls, and two boys.

Then, there in the spot light stepped out a tall, thin, young woman with scene black hair that fell to her shoulders, thick eyeliner, and ruby red lips with a lip ring to the right. She wore a black and white striped scoop neck shirt with a black vest, and a black jeweled necklace, many black bracelets, and tall black leather heeled boots with ripped blue skinny jeans. Grace breathed in deeply as she grasped the microphone in front of her, clearing her throat as the song began.

Daniel whacked the drums in harmony to match Vince's base, and Vince played to the beautifully played candy-apple red guitar that Amber carried. Amber had long scene blonde hair with a red ribbon bow, a black strapless shirt with a white scarf, red bracelets, ripped white skinny jeans, and black high top converses. Her lips were red as well, with smoky white eye shadow and a silver chain necklace. Her skin was pale and her hair fell past her chest as a golden blonde shade.

"Hold onto me love,  
You know I cant stay long.  
All I want to say was, "I love you and I'm not afraid"  
Can you hear me?  
Can you feel me in your arms?"

Grace sang perfectly, making the crowd go silent in awe. They gazed at her as her face showed passion, making her voice that much more amazing. Her voice was strong, yet gentle like an angel's as the words flowed along with the music in perfect harmony.

"Holding my last breath,  
Safe inside myself.  
Are all my thoughts of you?  
Sweet raptured light,  
It ends here tonight.

I'll miss the winter,  
A world of fragile things.  
Look for me in the white forest  
Hiding in a hollow tree."  
"_And you'll find me_." Amber sang quietly as an echo, and Grace breathed in.

"I know you hear me.  
I can taste it in your tears.  
Holding my last breath.  
Safe inside myself,  
Are all my thoughts of you?  
Sweet raptured light,  
It ends here tonight.

Closing your eyes to disappear,  
You pray your dreams will leave you here;  
But still you wake and know the truth,  
No one is there...

Say goodnight,  
Don't be afraid,  
Calling me, Calling me as you fade to black.

(_Say goodnight_) Holding my last breath,  
(_Don't be afraid_) Safe inside myself  
(_Calling me, calling me_) Are all my thoughts of you?  
Sweet raptured life, it ends here tonight.

"_Holding my last breath._  
_Safe inside myself,_  
_Are all my thoughts of you?_  
_Sweet raptured light,_  
_It ends here tonight_."

Amber sang after her, finishing off the song as they slowly let the music fade out. The crowd cheered and clapped as they finished their last song of the night, and Grace turned to Amber with a tired, breathless smile.

"Thank you, you've been a wonderful audience, have a good night." Grace said breathlessly into the microphone. Amber just laughed and clapped too. Daniel threw his drum sticks up in the air, then caught them and twirled them with his fingers before getting up to stretch. Amber took off the guitar strap and set it down and skipped off stage with Grace and Vince, hearing the crowd continue to cheer.

Amber and the band didn't make up their songs and instead decided to sing karaoke, only they took it to the next level. The crowd favorite was Evanescence, seeing is how Grace sounded just like her in all ways. Amber was taught to sing by Grace, making them become closer friends. Amber was now 19, and tonight was her four year disappearance from home when she was 15, and she intended on keeping that a record. Her home was with Grace who offered to let her be her room mate like Carlos, Daniel, Macy and Vince.

Her boss, Joe, who was also the leader of the gang she was now apart of called the Allies, allowed her to join after hearing her runaway story. Amber was a bit scared of him, but she was more frightened of her father. Her job was to perform with Grace and the others, earning money to support their gang, and it was a profitable performance too. The only downside was their rival gang, the Montys. She thought the gang names were stupid, but a serious rivalry stood between the two, causing drive-bys and dreadful murders.

The Allies were formed when the Montys came and tore up neighborhoods, sold drugs, robbed stores, and set fire to homes. Amber found the Allies more favorable and more persuasive than the rebels of the town, and took pride in her role to protect her part of town, making her practice harder everyday with her guitar and voice to make more money.

She stepped down the stairs tiredly, feeling her fingers throb and sweat drip down her cheek. Daniel and Vince were more sweaty, and looked like they had just got out for the shower. Vince pulled back his thick, dark brown hair, sighing as Daniel handed him a bottle of water. Vince wore a white T-shirt with plain baggy blue jeans, and Daniel wore a black T-shirt with white skinny jeans and low top black converses with a chain. Daniel breathed in grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Grace sat down in a chair and sucked down two bottles of water in less than a minute before coughing. Amber sat down next to her, sucking on her fingers that were painted black.

"You okay?" Amber breathed.

Grace coughed again and nodded. "I'm fine, just went longer on the notes this time." she said with a horse voice. Grace always had a horse voice after a show, and Amber knew that it was painful after she got done singing, and Grace's smoking habits didn't help her heal any faster.

"Yo, we're going out to eat or what? I'm starved." Daniel suggested, taking off his soaked shirt to reveal a muscular chest and large arms, typical body of a drummer.

Grace coughed again. "Nah, I'm not hungry."

"Grace, you haven't eaten in what, two days? You need to eat something." Vince scowled and stepped over to her, picking up her wrist like a toy. She was very thin do to a serious medical condition called Anorexia. She would go days without eating, getting to the point where Vince and Carlos had to shove food down her throat. That one incident made Grace think twice about their threats, but she only ate when they forced her to. Amber was always worried about her collapsing on stage, and tried to tell her that she was thin enough, but Grace was the hard-headed type, always looking in the mirror.

"Look at this grace, this is just skin and bone. You will eat tonight, or else." he warned, but Grace just rolled her gray eyes.

"Come on, just eat, its not so bad." Amber begged with a small smile, and Grace sighed.

"Fine fine, just get me another bottle of water."

Vince sighed too and nodded. "Good, you stubborn thing." he joked and Daniel swung a light gray jacket over his shoulder, walking over to the back door.

"Come on guys, I'm ready to go and I'm not waiting up for you."

Amber and Grace got up and picked up their jackets from a few hooks on the wall, slipping them on before following Daniel out the door.

Vince caught up to the three and tossed a water bottle to Grace, who shoved it in her jacket before pulling out a cigarette and red lighter. Amber rolled her blue eyes and fanned away the smoke when Grace lit up the cigarette.

"Ugh, those cancer sticks are going to kill you." Amber groaned with a light cough. Grace inhaled the cigarette deeply, holding in her breath before letting out the smoke through her mouth and nose with a smile.

"No," she breathed. "they help me concentrate. Makes my throat feel better too."

"Yo, that's just nasty." Vince coughed at the smoke as the four walked down a narrow ally way before making their way onto a sidewalk. The only light came from the street lamps and small lights from distant shops and restaurants. Amber coughed and fanned away the smoke again, walking in front of Grace.

"Yeah, its gross, do you ever plan on quitting?" she asked, but Grace just sucked on it again, blowing a ring of smoke and flicked the cigarette.

"Nope, not a chance." Grace snapped with a chuckle, making Daniel turn around and clap his hands.

"Grace, can you spare a cigarette, I forgot my pack at home?" he asked, and Grace pulled out another one before handing it to him.

"Thank ya much, little sexy thing." Daniel winked playfully.

"No problem ya handsome hunk." Grace laughed, and Amber just rolled her eyes when she heard Daniel light up his cigarette. She looked off down the street do to habit, seeing is how there was always a chance of a Monty stalking them. She pulled her blonde hair out of her eyes to see a shadowy figure of a car tread slowly behind them. That same shadow that she saw every night she was out. She learned not to let it bother her, knowing that all it did was follow her for the past four years. She continued to stare at it, elbowing Vince in the arm.

"Hey, check it." she whispered, making the others look back.

"Aw, look, its your creepy crush." Vince teased, but Grace lifted her thin brow.

"And its closer than usual. I swear, if that guy don't keep his distance, I'll shoot him." Grace shook her head, but Daniel just laughed.

"If there's gonna be any shooting, it'll be in self defense, otherwise Joe will shoot _you_."

"Yeah yeah, just ignore it and it'll go away." Vince assured as he pushed Amber to walk faster, and the others seemed to crowd around her as if to protect her. They always did this when they were on the streets, although it made Amber feel like a child, she was content with their protective instinct over her.

Perhaps it was the fact that she had a rough childhood? Or maybe it was because she was the youngest of the group, she preferred to not know to keep things as they always had been.

* * *

Grace watched Daniel and Vince cram a cheeseburger into their mouths like it had been weeks with no food, making her wince in disgust. Amber watched too, only she had a smile as she picked the pickles off her own burger before taking a small bite. Grace growled as the two boys scarfed down their food and sucked down their drinks.

"Ugh, how can you boys eat meat? Especially like dogs?" Grace asked, poking her salad with her fork. The diner was bright and nearly empty with one or two waitresses in pink dresses cleaning off the tables and collecting tips of the day. Bright yellow walls and black tile with ferns placed in the corners made the place look fancy with a long counter for a bar in the back, lit by low hanging lamps. Amber always did enjoy coming here and had tried everything on the menu, but she always got her usual; a cheeseburger with only ketchup, mustard, and no pickles. She always had to pick off the pickles though.

"Daniel scoffed as he wiped his mouth with napkin, leaning back in the booth.

"How could you eat those poor plants?" he laughed. "How do you think they feel when you chew on their delicate leaves?"

Grace growled and set her fork down, crossing her arms over her small chest. "Its different because animals are slaughtered, we were made to eat vegetables." she argued.

"Well you shouldn't worry about that because you don't eat at all." Vince mumbled, and Grace grasped her fork before eating a few bites.

"_Bastards_…" she grumbled quietly, making Amber laugh when she took another bite of her burger. She glanced out the window, and she nearly jumped when she saw a group of teenaged boys making their way to the restaurant, all dressed in dark hoods and baggy jeans. Daniel and Vince quickly looked over when the door opened, making the bell ring above the opening. Five boys came stalking in, scoping out the place when they saw the four at their booth. One of the boys elbowed another, and the group of five approached the group of Allies. Amber wanted to disappear as she turned away, sinking in her seat. Grace paid no attention to them as she took another bite of her salad like a prep. Vince and Daniel however, didn't look away when the tallest of the group stepped up at their table, and they could see their black shirts and the chains on their jeans.

Montys…

Daniel took a fry and stuffed it in his mouth before looking up the boys, who smirked when they crossed their arms over their chests.

"So, what brings you pricks here at this hour?" Daniel sighed.

"Watch your mouth, this is our turf." the boy in front snapped, taking off his hood to reveal a tanned face with brown eyes, a lip ring, and a scar over his eye that ran down his cheek. His hair was curly and black, greased back into different waves.

"Well hello there, handsome." Vince laughed, making Grace giggle.

"The name is Zeke, get it right or I'll mess you up." Zeke threatened as he pulled up his shirt to reveal a handle of a gun. Amber gasped when she saw the gun, and scooted off in the corner of the booth. One of the other boys reached over and grabbed a fry from Daniel's plate, stuffing it in his mouth with a sly grin. Daniel just chuckled and got up from his seat, making the boys back up. Daniel was much taller than them, and obviously had bigger muscles. One of the waitresses went behind the table and picked up the phone, but she saw Vince stare at her before shaking his head "no", like they had it under control. The waitress nodded and set the phone down, fearing that if she did call the cops, one of the Montys would shoot her.

"Look, we don't want any trouble, and I don't feel like kicking your asses tonight." Daniel smiled and crossed his arms, and Vince stood up too. He was a few inches shorter than Daniel, but still taller than the Montys.

"And guess what, this isn't your turf, this is Ally turf." Vince added, making Zeke look at his boys. They all pulled up their shirts to show off the handles of their guns and switch blades. Daniel and Vince kept their poker faces when Grace stood up.

"Well guess what, you four got trouble, we own this restaurant now and you either get out or you'll be leaving in body bags."

"We ain't going down without a fight." Daniel hissed, pulling out his own army knife that was about five inches long. Grace pulled out her own knife from her bra, and Amber stood up too, pulling a knife from her shoe. The Montys just laughed.

"Guns against knifes, this'll be fun." Zeke laughed as he pulled out his gun, aiming it at Daniel.

Then, as the rivals leaned in for a fight, the door opened and made the bell ring. The boys looked over to see a tall, muscular cop in dark blue step in the restaurant. He had bright hazel eyes that reflected Hellfire and rage, pale skin and his black hair was cut short and spiked up. His arms were huge and his heavy boots thumped against the floor. He stood about seven feet tall with three or four guns on his belt. He was utterly handsome with a golden police badge on his chest with a bizarre sign in the middle. He crossed his arms when he saw the boys step back in awe, never seeing such a threatening man in their lives. Daniel and Vince quickly put their knifes back in their pockets, and the Montys slipped their guns back. A long silence stood when the waitresses stared at the tall man.

"Officer, what seems to be the prob-" Zeke began nervously.

"Shut up." snapped the officer with a deep, low voice that echoed in the restaurant. The Montys jumped back at his tone, and Grace slipped her knife back in her bra. Amber gasped when the cop stared at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the Montys.

"You five better get out of here before things get messy." he threatened, narrowing his eyes hatefully. The boys exchanged looks at each other in confusion, scratching their heads.

Amber gulped as she sat back in her seat slowly, wanting to hide from the cop.

"Wait, do cops say that?" one boy asked, and the cop pulled out a massive gun, cocking it very loudly.

"Get out!" he shouted, and the group of rebels dashed for the door without hesitation, emptying out the restaurant in less than a second. Daniel and Vince cleared their throats when the room became quiet again, and the cop stared at the four. He put his gun back in his belt roughly when Daniel came up to him, holding out his hand. He took a moment to speak up in awe, looking up at the man that stood taller than him.

"Thanks man, you saved our asses there." he thanked, but the cop looked at him with disgust before shrugging away. He opened the door and left before glancing at Amber one more time. Daniel looked at the three with a confused expression.

"Damn, what's his problem?"

Vince shrugged. "Hey, lets just be thankful he chased them off."

"Yeah, I cant believe we were going to fight them with knives, I told you we should've brought our guns." Grace laughed as she saw Amber with a horrified expression with her nails digging into the seat. "I mean, look at this, Amber doesn't know how to fight with a knife, she would've been the first to get whacked."

"Look, lets just go home and forget this ever happened." Vince pulled out his wallet and put a twenty on the table for the food. Daniel pulled out his wallet and put another twenty on the table as a tip, grinning at the waitress who was also horrified.

"Don't worry little babe, we gotcha covered." he winked and the waitress smiled. She knew them well and cleaned off the bar table when the four began to leave.

"Come on, Macy and Carlos are at home alone, don't want them to get caught in the middle of robbery or somthing." Grace laughed, and Daniel held Amber's hand as she skook and trembled.

"Chill, Amber, its fine." he assured, and Vince patted her back.

"Yeah, we'll take care of ya." he added, but Amber was still panicking. Her little heart was racing and her breath was quick and deep. She was close to death tonight, and something about that cop didn't seem right to her. It was like she had met him before. He scared her, and she didn't know what to make of this situation. She grasped Daniel's hand tighter and leaned on his arm tiredly, wanting to go to sleep, and hoped that the night would pass faster.

* * *

_A/N- I do not own "My Last Breath" by Evanecence, the song is purly used as karaoki for the story and belongs to it's respected owners. Transformers belongs to Hasbro, and Daniel and Carlos do too as well. I used their characters because the less OCs, the better._


	3. The Signal That Calls

_I am so sorry for the delay, not only was I grounded, I had a major case of writer's block for the longest time. I'm just glad that I finally got through it thanks to Anika, love you girl :D_  
_Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated and welcomed, as are reviews with constructive criticism.  
This chapter contains blood, reader discretion is advised. Thank you and enjoy..._

* * *

Amber stared out her window through the bars of Grace's apartment, watching the flashing lights of police cars that lined the street light up brightly in the night-time darkness. Her eyes wandered around the cops below as they put multiple criminals in the back of the cars with cuffs, and larges bags filled with drugs that had been confiscated in large quantities. She sighed as she pulled away from the window, putting the curtains back when she heard Grace call her from the kitchen.

"Amber, did they arrest Mike from across the street yet?" she asked loudly, walking out of the kitchen with a soda in her hand. Her hair was brushed and put in a high pony tail with black pajama pants and a white tank top. Amber sat in the bed and crossed her legs, running her fingers through her hair. She wore blue shorts and a white tank top too with red flowers to the side and a pair of socks.

"Yeah, I was wondering when they were gonna get him."

Grace smirked and sat down next to Amber, leaning back on the soft sheets.

"Aw, and he had the good stuff too, not that cheap knock-off crap."

"Grace!" Amber lightly punched Grace's arm and smirked. Amber didn't like the fact that she used drugs back in her early teen years, and was still struggling to recover from meth addictions and such. Grace simply laughed and fell back on the bed, staring up the ceiling, Amber did too, sighing tiredly. The two thought for a while, hearing nothing but the muffled hard-core metal music from the neighbors from yet another party. It seemed like hours while they laid there, staring at nothing but the plain white paint on the ceiling, until Amber finally broke the silence.

"Grace?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

Amber hesitated, swallowing before she spoke of what was on her mind.

"You know my dad?"

"Yeah, and from what you told me, he's a real ass-hole."

"Well, tonight, after what happened at the diner, I remembered that night I ran away."

Grace sat up, looking at Amber sternly.

"What? How?"

"That cop."

Grace stood up, grumbling loudly, grabbing her soda off the table and taking a gulp. Amber rolled her eyes, expecting a smart remark.

"Amber, cops are cops, pigs are pigs, they're both the same. And that cop that hit you all those years ago and didn't even bother to help you was one of those pigs."

"Then why did that cop help us tonight?" Amber sat up and crossed her arms, smirking at the aggravated Grace.

"Maybe that one wasn't such a pig. In fact, he looked pretty handsome for a cop. Oh my God, did you see his arms? They were _huge_!"

"Grace! Youre missing the point! Did you even bother to look at his badge?" Amber stood up, putting her hands on her hips, and Grace mirrored her tauntingly.

"Um, no, I was too bust staring at his body."

"Well if you had been paying attention, his badge looked like one of those alien symbols we see on TV all the time."

Grace nearly choked on her soda when she tried not to laugh, holding her lips and swallowed.

"Oh, that's just your mind playing tricks on you. He was too far away to really see, and besides, you said he reminded you of that cop car, you could've seen it wrong." she reasoned, finishing her soda off. Amber nodded and sighed, moving her hair out of her face.

Maybe Grace was right, her mind was probably messing around and it was just a real nice cop actually doing his job. But he seemed so aggressive, and protective, and oddly, very familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but all the idea did was stress her out, and she would never be able to get any sleep if she continued down that road. The memory of her running away always haunted her, was her mother fine? Was her dad a better man or still the same? She wished she knew, but didn't at the same time. All she knew is that she wanted to forget it, and forget it forever.

Grace lifted Amber's chin to see her face, looking at her like a mother with her child.

"Now you look here, Amber, I know what you've been through, and I know it's tough, but thinking about what happened tonight isn't going to help you. Just, drink a soda, listen to a song or two, and it'll be tomorrow before you know it. You wont even remember tonight." she assured and went into the kitchen. Leaving Amber to slump to her bed tiredly, being emotionally drained. All she could see was that cop's stare, watching her like a predator hunting it's prey. She felt scared around him, he was threatening to kill those Montys. _Kill_! No cop would do that, atleast no _ordinary _cop would. There she was again, thinking about it.

_Stop it! Stop it, Amber! Listen to Grace, she's older and has been through way more than you have. Just chill, and you have another performance tomorrow, and you cant play good if your mind is on stupid stuff like this._

She argued inside, staring at her hands before she noticed Grace throwing her a soda. She acted fast and caught it, sighing out when Grace sat next to her, smiling and patting her back.

"There, now chill out and relax."

Then, the door busted open, slamming against the wall hard enough to punch a hole and shake the room! The sudden noise made the two jump up, gasping when Stacy came running in fast. Her hair was put up in two high pony tails and was red and black striped with a bow. She wore a deep red plad skirt with a chain, tall black buckled boots that ran up to her knees with large heels, and a white corset-looking shirt with black chain necklaces and bracelets. Her face was struck with fear, eyes wide and mouth open as she breathed heavily, shaking and trembling as she saw the two girls.

"Stacy, what the Hell is going on?" Grace asked nervously, and saw Stacy turn her head towards the door.

"I was at a party with the boys," she huffed and puffed breathlessly. "and we got in a fight. No biggy, but when we went to walk home, there was a drive-by!" she exclaimed, making Amber step forward.

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked quickly.

"Two guys were shot and killed, and Carlos and Daniel were shot at too, but okay."

"And Vince?" Grace urged, hearing groaning in the hallway, and the boys came in shortly. Carlos and Daniels had Vince's arms around their necks, helping him limp into the room, looking awfully pale and sickly. Grace and Amber gasped as they saw a trail of blood behind them as they set Vince on the couch gently.

"Oh my God, Vince!" Amber shrieked, seeing a bullet wound in his lower torso bleed out. Tears welded up in her eyes as she ran over to him, seeing him wince in agony when the wound gushed his scarlet blood, staining his white shirt. He breathed in slowly and unevenly, wanting to scream, but withheld it. His face was nearly white from the loss of blood that was now falling to the couch, and Stacy ran into the other room, grabbing towels and a first aid kit. Amber and Grace knelt down with Carlos and Daniel, unsure of what to do.

"Oh God, Vince, how did this happen?" Grace cried out, looking at Stacy who came back with the supplies and snatched a towel from her hand, pressing it against his wound.

"Those…damn…Montys…" he gasped, holding Grace's hand closer to his bullet wound. Blood seeped in between their fingers as it quickly soaked the towel, making Amber exchange towels every other minute. Carlos lowered his head, unsure of what to feel, but he knew that he felt deeply worried. Should he be scared, pissed, what? Perhaps all the emotions, he didn't know.

"Dude, why don't you just go to the hospital?" he asked, and Amber turned her head to Vince and raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"You refused to go to the hospital? Man, whats wrong with you!"

"I cant go to the hospital, those cops want me for a murder back in 2001, and the Montys will be there to shoot me in my hospital bed. There is now way in Hell that I'm going there…" he struggled out painfully and breathlessly, but Grace just shook her head, watching the blood continue to pour out.

"Well, we have to get that bullet out, otherwise you're just gonna bleed to death."

"Yeah dude, it's either we do it, or you die." Daniel said, covering his mouth from the sight of the blood, hiding his gags. Vince breathed in slower and looked down at the bloody mess, closing his eyes and nodding.

"Yeah okay, I'll be good."

"Alright then. Amber, I don't want you to see any of this, so go in Daniel's room until morning." Grace pointed at the hallway and Amber hesitated, watching Daniel and Carlos pick up Vince. "I mean it, go, and turn on your radio."

"I'm not a kid, Grace."

"I don't care, this is serious and you're too sensitive, look at you, you look like you're about to pass out. Now go!"

Amber smirked and walked down the hallway, going into Daniel's room and shutting the door behind her angrily.

His room was light gray with posters of women in bathing suits here and there, a small plain un-made black bed, a large stereo system with multiple stolen iPods of all models, a computer, bookshelf, and a lone lamp on a nightstand next to the bed that was pushed up against the wall. She sighed and ran over to the stereo, picking her favorite iPod before plugging it in, playing "Love Is Dead by Kerli". She then sat on the bed before laying down, pulling the sheets up around her comfortably that smelled like high-class cologne. She listened to the music and went into deep thought. Even though she was older now, Grace still treated her like a child, and for some odd reason, she still felt like one. She was the baby of her group, the baby of the entire Allies gang for all she knew. She wasn't a hard-core gang member, and was still just a child in her own way, and Grace knew this. Everyone did, and Amber didn't exactly appreciate how she was kept away from gore and was not exposed to as much violence as the others, but she still wanted to grow up and fight for what she believed in, she just didn't have the courage just yet. She was an adult now, 19 years old, old enough to help out her friend that is practically her brother.

All throughout the night, the music barely covered up Vince's yelps in pain and Amber swore she heard Carlos and Grace cry. She tried to ignore it and spent half the night staring into blackness, drowning out the real world from her head, and slowly slipped into her dreams.

But as she dreamed, her shelf of tiny presents and little rocks began to shake a bit, and one, shiny metallic piece of metal with black etchings carved into the flatter surface began to glow an ominous, yet faint aura of blue and white. It shook so much, that the lone piece of metal fell to her bed right on her pillow, making weird magnetic noises and rumbles, but no one heard.

* * *

Optimus snatched his look away from Lennox and Sam as they discussed certain subjects about government issues when his sensors became aware of a presence, making him go into a slight trance as he tried to see what it was. Lennox stopped and looked up at Optimus, as did Sam when they noticed his shift in movement.

"Optimus, you okay?" Sam asked, and Optimus looked down at the two small humans, looking around with his bright blue optics for a quiet moment or two.

"Yes, continue please, Lennox." he said politely, then began to scan every system he could find to see what that faint signal was, and where it came from. He thought it to be highly unusual, yet so familiar.

Lennox nodded and turned to Sam, patting him on the shoulder.

"Well Sam, I don't know exactly when you can be relocated, but the government believes it is in your best interest to lie low for a while. We don't know if some of the Decepticons are still hanging around." Lennox informed, making Sam sigh.

"What? Why would some still stay?" Sam asked bluntly, and Lennox motioned up to Optimus.

"Hey, we're still tracking some down, I mean, after the last fight, there seems to still be more disturbances around your town and up in D.C. It's just simple precautions, right Op?" Lennox asked, but Optimus seemed to be in his own world, unknowingly ignoring the two.

"Optimus?" Sam asked, snapping his fingers. Optimus snapped back into focus again, looking down at the two.

"Uh, yes, just do what he says, Sam. It is for your own safety as well as your parent's and Mikaela's."

Sam looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his head, sighing.

"Alright, fine. For how long?"

"Just until we can relocate you, which shouldn't be long." Lennox said, and shifted in his heavy army gear, picking a large back pack and swinging it over his shoulder's. Sam nodded and turned towards Optimus, who looked worried and turned away, but Sam stopped him.

"Optimus, wait. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, and Optimus paused, looking over his shoulders to see his human friend stare up at him. Usually, leaders should not show any emotion, but he couldn't help but feel distracted and a little paranoid, feeling something that he thought was destroyed.

"Yes, do not feel concerned for me, Sam, I wish you the best of luck." he said, and Sam turned his head, feeling just as worried as Optimus did before turning away to his yellow and black-striped Camaro, Bumblebee, who awaited him, ready to take him back home.

Optimus rubbed his optics as he registered the faint signal that seemed to have moved his spark like thunder. He knew what it was now, and two of his comrades drove up to his feet, one a lime green ambulance, the other a black GMC pick-up truck. They both transformed, folding in their armor and revealed shifting and twisting gears and exposed steel and chrome. Optimus stepped back as Ratchet and Ironhide slowly stood up, staring at their leader.

"Ironhide, Ratchet." Optimus acknowledged, and the two nodded.

"Prime." Ratchet said.

They all exchanged looks, ignoring the noise in the background of jet engines and helicopters. It was like they all knew the same thing, like they all felt it, and now they were all concerned. Ironhide leaned in, ensuring that no one else heard.

"Prime, did you feel it too?" he asked, and Prime looked out the opening of the base, seeing the yellow rays of sunlight peer in and light up the room quite nicely.

"I did." he answered, and Ratchet stepped next to him, looking all around.

"The others did too, sir. Do you think that it's what we believe it to be?"

"I am not sure, but I have a hunch that it just might be."

Ironhide went to Prime's other side. "Do you know where it came from?"

Ratchet checked his arm for the scanner, pinpointing what he was able to catch before the signal disappeared. "I was only able to track it back to Nevada, perhaps you had more success than I."

"It is in Tranquility, I know it is." Optimus said, turning away to walk towards the other Autobots, who patiently waited in their alternate forms and perfectly parked in their places. Arcee, Sideswipe, Jolt, and Skids and Mudflap. Optimus and his two soldiers came up to them, sending a com-link to all of them.

/_Autobots, I need two scouts to go to Tranquility, Nevada, tonight. There seems to have been a disturbance that we must know about._/ he ordered, and immediately, the two bots that he wanted the least to do the job transformed in a flash, raising their hands.

"Oh oh oh! Me sir! Pick me!" Skids volunteered, and Mudflap shoved him out of the way, raising his own hand.

"No no, pick me!" Mudflap urged, and Skids pounded his shoulder and stood next to his deep red brother.

"Pick us!"

Optimus sighed through his vents, and looked over at Ironhide. His look reflected his urge to slap the two out of irritation, and Ratchet just shook his head.

"Easy, Ironhide." Optimus eased, and winced as the two continued to plea for the mission.

"A shard of the Allspark is still active, and I highly doubt that the Decepticons didn't feel it either. Whoever goes will most likely encounter them.

"We can do it, Prime, we'll check it out!"

"Yeah, we'll be like ninjas." Mudflap crossed his arms like he was big, bad, and tough.

Optimus sent another com-link. /_Anyone else?_/

/_Eh, I say give the two a chance, Prime._/ Sideswipe answered.

/_Yeah, it'll help em' out._/ Jolt added.

/_Help **us **out._/ Sideswipe snickered.

/I_t will give them room to grow, Optimus._/ Arcee stated gently.

Optimus rubbed his optics miserably. Although, this made him think. The twins rarely went on missions, and Arcee was right, this could help them grow up. Besides, the Decepticons wouldn't find them a threat anyway, so there was really no harm.

"Fine, fine…" Optimus finally answered, and the twins jumped and fist pumped the air.

"Yeah!" they both cheered, and Ironhide nearly gasped.

"What? Prime-"

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Are you quite sure?" Ratchet asked disbelievingly, and Optimus waved them off.

"Now Skids, Mudflap. I need you to be serious on this mission and try to locate where that signal came from. No other distractions, no messing around. Understood?" Optimus pointed at the two sternly, and they saluted, puffing out their chests like men. Ironhide shook his head and groaned, walking away.

Optimus knew what he was doing, and even though the twins weren't the most professional, the were very reliable, and they proved this when they and Bumblebee hid Sam and Mikaela. The other Autobots thought differently though, but it was Optimus' duty to ensure that everyone got a chance to show what they are capable of, like a real leader should.

"Can do, sir!" Skids responded and knuckle punched Mudflap. They knew that they weren't the best members the team, but these Autobots were their heroes, and they were going to prove themselves worthy of the Autobot team. This was their chance to show their role-models their stuff.

/_Dear Primus, help us all..._/ Sideswipe groaned and Jolt's door opened and slammed against Sideswipe's, and Arcee couldn't help but laugh.

"Ow! What did I do!"

* * *

Megatron awakened from his throne, staring into the dark as he felt his weak spark move from a small signal, making him bare his sharp teeth. His claws clenched the arm rests of the throne, and his rusted gears tightened as he began to scan the signal quickly. It was odd, but he seemed to know what it was and it was like he had expected it. He thought a moment as he went into a trance, feeling the signal pulse inside, and sent energy to his head that was like a message, and he then knew where it came from.

It _told_ him...

He moved in his throne, hearing fast foot steps behind him and swift moving gears of grinding metal. Starscream approached from behind him cautiously, hunkering down near Megatron's feet like a coward. Megatron eyed his red optics as they glowed in the darkness, watching his second-in-command bow to him respectfully on his knee.

"Lord Megatron, I wish to tell you that, something has disturbed our sensors." he informed in his scratchy, hushed voice as he dared not to make eye contact. Megatron grinned and slumped comfortably in his throne, making a deep sigh that came from the depths of his chest, seeing the cold mist escape from his lips. He listened to the sounds of dripping liquids from the base, and the wails of the winds outside with creaking metal from the shadows. This allowed him to focuse as he finally spoke.

"Yes, Starscream, there has been a disturbance. The last shard of the Cube is still active, still containing power. The very thing that created us all is calling out to it's children, causing us to yearn for it's power. Yes, I can feel it."

"But how do we find it, my lord?"

Megatron took a moment to gather strength for him to speak, closing his optics in exhaustion.

"I already have."

Starscream stared up at his master as he sent him the coordinates, making Starscream think. Megatron has gotten weaker and weaker, but his mind seems to be expanding. Like The Fallen once did. But no matter, knowledge would not keep Megatron alive much longer, it was simply a waiting game until Megatron died off and Starscream would have the throne all to himself soon enough. He would offline before this was all over, but until then, he stayed on his knee and bowed again.

"I will go, my lord. I will find the last shard and bring it to you." he lied, and Megatron grinned.

"_Do...not...fail...me_..." he whispered before slipping back into recharge. Starscream smiled and slowly got up, staring down at Megatron as he slept. Oh how he could kill him right there, he could take his saw and drive it deep into his chest, and it would be over. He could shoot him in the head, or simply cut off his head, but he must practice patience. He may have been wanting the throne for as long as he could remember, but he had more pride than that. Killing his enemy when he's vulnerable and powerless? Where was the glory, where was the satisfaction? No, he would wait, he would wait patiently and his time would come soon enough.

He rubbed his hands together as he stepped over to the side of his throne, leaning in to Megatron's receptors. He narrowed his optics and spoke so quietly with a grin.

"You will die, and I will have my glory..." he hissed, and walked away, chuckling quietly to himself as left.


	4. The Chase

Amber's eyes fluttered open tiredly as morning came, sounding off a quiet alarm next to her face on the night stand. Her eyes burned from a sleepless night, and she breathed in deeply, stretching as she smelled the cologne in the sheets. It took a moment for her to recap last night's events, and her hand sleepily slumped over the alarm clock, turning it off. Her arms then slowly sat her up, and she took a minute and leaned on the wall, sighing as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She was stiff all over like wood, hurting to move and ripped the sheets from her legs, trying to get out of the bed without falling down. She had dreamed last night, a nightmare with the same monster chasing her through the night. She thought about it, remembering it for a split second.

Night after night, this nightmare would creep back to haunt her, the same monster that had ran her over. It would try to hit her, speeding up and capture her in an icy embrace and crush her until she could breath no longer. Grace and Stacy would blow it off as just a phase, telling Amber that it would pass, but the dream kept coming back to get her. Amber had gotten used to it, but that still doesn't mean that it didn't scare her. The monster would never quit unless it had her in it's arms.

Her hand grasped the door weakly as she opened it slowly, hearing sobs coming from the living room. Many thoughts ran through her mind at this point, expecting the worst outcome, but maybe it was something else. She prayed to God that it wasn't what she thought it was, she pushed those horrible ideas out of head and bit her lip. Her feet moved her through the hallway, fearing to step in front of that one open door, Vince's room. She couldn't bare to look in, but she was in front of the doorway before she realized it. She gulped and grasped the door hinge, heart racing and breaths slowing as her eyes looked to see Daniel, pulling a white sheet over Vince's face…

This wasn't happening, this was a different nightmare, it wasn't real. She saw Daniel stare into her eyes, tears threatening to fall from his tired face. He breathed in and turned his head, not wanting her to see his tears fall. Amber felt like she had been stabbed in the heart, and her throat swelled when she tried to contain her own cries.

"Is he…dead?" she asked, knowing the answer already, but she had to hear it. She had to know for sure that this wasn't a dream. She wanted to hear him say it, she wanted to hear anyone say it. Daniel took another deep breath, putting a fist over his mouth.

"Yeah…" he murmured and closed his eyes, and Amber's heart sank, and she lowered her eyes to the ground, seeing hot tears fall to her feet. "He died during the night…" he added, and Amber shook her head, shutting her eyes tight.

"_No_." she breathed. "No, he cant be. He cant be dead, no. No, I don't believe it, no…" she said, and she heard a cry escape from him, and she shook her head again, and pushed herself away from the doorway, breathing in. She dashed for the living room and found Grace and Stacy crying into pillows on the couch with Carlos sitting in the chair, covering his eyes. Amber ran for her bed, looking underneath it and grabbed a handful of clothes. Grace turned around and watched Amber stuff her clothes into a bag.

"Amber." she sniffled quietly. "W-what are you doing?"

Amber didn't answer. Stacy turned to see Amber too, and wiped her black makeup off her cheeks that had also stained the pillow.

"Amber?" Stacy called, but all they heard were quiet sobs from her.

Amber was running away, away from her dead brother that she had loved dearly. He was taken away from her, and she couldn't stay here, she had to leave. She had to be alone, otherwise she would go mad. Running away always seemed to solve her problems, too scared to face them like always.

She stood up and stared at her bed, seeing a small little piece of metal on her pillow. She blinked to clear her foggy, teary vision and snatched it up, shoving it into her bag and zipped it up, not thinking twice or even cared of what she grabbed.

"Amber, where are you going?" Grace whimpered, and Amber breathed.

"Away…" she said and ran for the door. Grace jumped up and tried to catch her. "Amber, come back!" she called, but Amber was already gone, slamming the door behind her.

Grace sighed and wiped more tears from her face, holding her head and looked over at Amber's bed, and widened her eyes. She gasped and threw her pillow onto the couch, and ran for the hallway.

"Grace?" Stacy called.

"I'm going after her."

"Why?" Carlos asked, and Grace pointed next to Amber's bed, and they all saw a single pocket knife. Carlos and Stacy perked up their heads when the realized what it meant.

"She forgot her life line." Grace said and ran for her room.

* * *

Amber felt hot tears continue to ripple down her face as she dug around for her shirt in her bag, keeping a look out while she undressed in the girls bathroom at a gas station. The floors hurt her feet with small, broken, blue tiles on the floor, and her legs ached from running a few blocks from her apartment. The walls where gray and brown, originally white, and most of the stalls were either missing locks or the doors themselves, so she locked the door and hoped no one would walk in. Her bag sat in the sink that she washed out before setting it in there, and finally found her strapless, black and white striped shirt. It was a bit wrinkled, but it would have to do as she slipped it on, fixing it so it fit right. It hung down to her waist, fitting tightly around her and she fixed the little sewn-in pocket to the side. She then looked for her skirt, and she pulled out a red plaid skirt, similar to Stacy's. Maybe it was Stacy's? Oh well, she didn't care as she tore it from her bag, pulling it up and it was a perfect fit. It was a little short and came up above her mid thigh, and it didn't quite match her shirt, but she wasn't picky at this point in time. She then looked to see if she could find any shoes, and found black, low-heeled boots with a buckle on the side, and long black socks wrapped around them along with a black and white striped scarf. She grinded her teeth angrily, looking up in utter frustration.

"Great, I had to grab the heels. I just_ had_ to grab them…" she growled, unwrapping the socks from the boots and slipped them on, and they reached all the way up to her lower mid-thigh. She wrapped the scarf around her neck once, then finally put on her boots. She didn't want to wear the heels, especially if she needed to run for some reason. All she could do was hope that she didn't get a reason to run, and dug in her bag for anything else, feeling around the bottom and suddenly felt a cold piece of metal at the tips of her fingers. She grasped it and pulled it out, holding it up close to her face to see it.

She remembered when she got it, a friend of hers had given it to her after spring break when her friend had visited the Smithsonian air and space museum. She had found it lying around under a plane, but decided to give it to Amber, and she had kept it ever since.

Amber smiled and slipped it in her pocket, and picked up her bag, fixing her hair one last time before taking off out of the beaten bathroom.

A few hours passed as she walked through the town park, hearing children laugh and play as they swung on the swings and played on teeter-totters. Large oak trees passed over her and let rays of yellow sunlight pour down on her blonde hair, making it shine a luminous gold. She moved her bangs behind her ear as she watched her feet step out in front of one another, carefully taking her slow strides on the sidewalk. She was lost in deep thought about Vince's death, and she still refused to believe it. It was like a dream that she couldn't wake up from, but it felt all too real. Vince had been her brotherly figure since she woke up from her coma the night she ran from her father. He had treated her as a little sister, always watching out for her and keeping her safe and out of trouble. He was like Grace, like family, that would never betray or hurt her.

Grace was her sister at heart, a sister and a mother. Even though Amber was 19, and Grace was 21, Grace seemed to always be concerned about Amber's future, and even suggested collage, and discussed boyfriends.

Amber never had a boyfriend, and Grace had told her that boys only wanted her for her virginity.

Amber still had hers, _thank God…_

Carlos was like her uncle that was always out at parties, hitting on girls, yet never bringing one home. She figured it was to keep that kind of reality away from influencing Amber and he most likely took the girls to a hotel or something. Daniel was a fatherly figure that Amber never got to have. He laid down the rules of life and taught her to adapt to the real world, accepting the cruelty of humanity and the tragic reality of the gang war she was now apart of. He had gotten her out of many situations with the Montys, saving her from shoot outs and God knows how many drive-bys. Those kind of attacks were commonly used by the Montys and was a constant threat to any Ally walking on the streets without protection or alone.

Then it hit her, making her stop cold in her tracks. Her eyes widened and her heart missed a beat when she realized that she had no protection on her. She had left her knife at home and didn't even think twice to grab it, and her senses kicked in. She listened to the laughs of the children that suddenly became louder, and her protective instincts kicked in along with paranoia. Paranoia was an Ally's best friend when it came to no defenses, another tricked learned by Vince.

At this point, not only was she defenseless, but also _alone_…

She looked up and all around, seeing nothing but passing street cars and normal people walking on the sidewalks, minding their own business. She kept in mind that every car and every person might be a threat, and she breathed in deeply. She had to keep a low profile and find a safe place to hang until she was ready to return home. She figured that Vince's dead body would be out of the house tonight, and would return when night came. That way, she would have less of a chance of being seen, but it would still be hazardous, even fatale if she ran into the Montys.

Her eyes scanned all around one more time as she started walking again, shoulders up and arms crossed as she made her way down the steps, making her next destination into the safety of the ally ways that she had come to know and love.

Little did she know that she was being watched from afar, recording every step she made, and every look she gave to surrounding people. His engine revved as he stayed still, parked next to a sidewalk in front of an old antique shop. His wheels ached to spin at top speed after her and his armor was hot like fire, ready to feel the cool breeze ripple over it and chill him to the frame. He wanted to see her stumble and run from him, he wanted to see her terrified face when she fights to keep going, and wanted to see her breathe heavily as his grill pins her against a wall. He wanted a hunt, but he wanted her to start it. Just one look would do the trick, but he wasn't getting her attention as she hopped off the stairs, looking at cars from another street. This infuriated him as he grew impatient, and revved his engine louder, scaring passing people next to him.

Amber heard a revving engine nearby, making her stop and stick her head up like a frightened deer and scan all around her. Her heart pounded in her chest when that sound seemed familiar to her, and it revved again. She knew which direction it came from, she was just too scared to look. That was the same sound that she heard in her nightmares, roaring and bellowing like a wolf ready to attack it's prey. The sound of the rev sent shivers down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her eyes were the first to see what had made that horrendous noise, but her body was too scared to move. She gathered enough courage to see, and what she saw made her pupils shrink and adrenaline rush through her body. There it was, that same cop in that same cop car that had ran her over all those years ago. He had sun glasses on his face that hid his bright hazel eyes that stared at her, and she saw the paint job on the car sparkle and shine in the afternoon sun. He stared at her with no expression, no emotion, and she stared back at him wide-eyed. She didn't believe what she was seeing, and so many thoughts ran through her head that she couldn't even begin to fathom what they meant. The same cop that had saved her at the diner was in the car that had nearly killed her.

What in God's name was this?

Amber felt her legs begin to shake and move on their own, taking small, wobbly steps back. Each of her steps made the cop car pull out from it's parking space, and each of her steps slowly turned into strides. Her legs twisted her around and before she knew it, she was sprinting down the sidewalk as fast as she could go.

The cop car revved loudly, speeding out of the parking space before stopping with a screech in the tires, then speeding forwards with white smoke from spinning rubber against the hot asphalt. The hunt was on as it took off after her, dodging traffic to catch up to her.

Amber breathed heavily, nearly crying with each breath. Tears welded up in her eyes, fogging up her sight. She couldn't see, so she wiped her eyes on her arm and came close to running into a lamp post, jumping out of the way to dodge it. The cop was gaining on her fast, so she ran faster, trying hard to keep herself from tripping on her heels. She almost tripped, but caught her balance and looked back to see the cop catch up to her. She had to get away from it, maybe it wouldn't follow her through town square? She made a sharp turn to the right, away from the car and ran onto fresh green grass, up a hill and looked back to see the cop slow down. She stopped for a breather, feeling her feet and ankles ache from her heels. The cop car revved angrily and sped off around the hill. She gulped and took off again for town square, balancing herself on her high black boots.

The sight of a large, white stone water fountain was a haven as she ran breathlessly to it, sitting on the edge and savored the cool mist from the water spray against her sweating skin. Her chest was throbbing painfully, and her legs felt numb from running, but she didn't care. All she cared about was taking off her shoes because she knew that it wouldn't be long until the cop found her. She un-strapped her shoes and opened her bag, shoving them in it and looked all around.

No sight of him.

Swinging her bag around her shoulder, she decided to take this moment to get a drink, her throat was dry and breathing was getting harder, and water from a well-kept fountain was good enough. She cupped her hands and leaned in to get a drink, feeling the sweet water ripple down her dried throat. It was probably the most delicious water she had ever tasted as she drank more, occasionally splashing her forehead to cool her down from the hot and humid summer air. She swallowed hard and breathed, feeling her bangs become soaked from the water, but the sound of the same revving engine stopped her. That rev was starting to taunt her, like it was laughing at her and egging her to run. She looked up and wiped the water from her face to see the cop at the side of the town square, only about fifty yards away.

No way he would try to drive near her, it was a public place where citizens walked, it would be against the rules for a cop.

She was wrong when the cop drove up the steps fast and sped towards her, and she instantly got up and dashed away from it. People screamed and dove out of the way from the roaring Mustang as it drove towards Amber, swerving to miss the fountain.

"That's no cop! That's no cop, I swear to God!" she panted, glancing to see the cop chase her.

Amber ran as fast as she could off the sidewalk and into the road, stopping when cars came close to hitting her and slapped their hoods when she ran in front of them.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Tires screeched to a stop when she sprinted in front of them, honking loudly. Amber finally made it across the road and looked back to see the cop car fly over the hill and roll down onto the road, following her as she ran up the sidewalk!

She was thankful that she worked out on a regular basis, but she had never expected to be running from a deranged cop that wanted to kill her. Her bared feet slammed against the concrete, occasionally stepping on a rock, sending spikes of pain up her legs and spine, but she sucked it up, bit her lip, and kept pace and ran past people.

"Move people! Move!" They frowned at her when she had to push some of them out of the way, gasping out when she controlled her breathing. Cardio was key at this point, and she felt her heart and lungs work at a harmonic pace, keeping her going when her legs burned. Adrenaline was making her run faster and stronger when she hopped over stands and carriers. She looked back to see the cop trail right behind her, so she pushed herself to go faster and faster, faster than she had ever gone. She was no longer scared, and if this cop was going to hunt her down, then she was going to be one hell of a difficult catch!

She growled and clenched her jaw when the cop drove next to her and ran towards it, hopping on the hood and sliding across it! Her feet hit the hot road and she caught her balance when she ran to other side of the road, making people gasp at the dangerous stunt, but Amber just laughed and continued to run.

About an hour passed, and Amber hopped over fences with ease, ran through buildings, jumped over ditches, ran through the park several times, and even hitched on dumpster trucks through a few blocks! She was actually having fun, but she just couldn't seem to shake this maniac, but honestly, she didn't want him to stop chasing her, not yet. Because if he was going to kill her, he would've already shot her or sped up to run her over. That didn't mean that she wasn't still scared of him, so she made sure that she wasn't going to get caught. Soon, she started running up another sidewalk, knowing that she needed to take a small break, even if it was just a few seconds.

She turned sharply into an ally way, hearing the cop stop suddenly. She stopped too and turned around, breathing and feeling cold sweat run down her forehead. She smiled as the cop backed up a little, trying to find a way in, but the ally way was simply too narrow.

"Ha! Cant go down ally ways, can you?" she yelled tauntingly, hearing the engine roar furiously before speeding off to find another way.

She shook her head and started running again, making her way out of the ally. Soon, she heard the engine roar behind her as the car pulled around a corner, and she gritted her teeth with a smile.

"Catch me if you can, bitch!" she laughed and sprinted as fast as she could, possibly even faster. She saw the cop speed up next to her and she could even see the cop stare at her, continuously driving as fast as she was going without looking at the road. She thought fast and realized that he couldn't turn back, so she stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, taking off in the other direction. The cop sped up and swerved in a U-turn, making other cars swerve and crash into each other. Amber laughed at her quick thinking, but gasped when she saw the cop speed back towards her.

"Damn it!" she screamed and sprinted even faster down the sidewalk, listening to her bare feet slam against it painfully. Her energy was running thin, and her legs couldn't keep her going much longer. Her mouth was dry and sore, and her lungs felt like they were on fire. Her abdomen cramped painfully, and her heart began to hurt as it continuously pounded hard against her chest. She had to hide, somewhere, anywhere, as long as she got to rest. She made a quick turn to try to run into a store and hopefully run out the back, but she ended up slamming against a young man with short, brown, semi-curly hair with dark brown eyes. He gasped as he caught Amber and himself from falling to the ground, and he heard the rev of the cop car that stopped in front of the store. His eyes got big and he noticed the strange girl's heavy breathing as she struggled to push herself off of him.

"S-sorry! So sorry!" she called as she ran through the small store, filled with roses and flowers of all colorful sorts. The man watched her dash into the back, hearing the slam of the back ally door in the room behind her. He then saw the cop car take off, skidding the tires against the hot black pavement. He looked down and picked up his crushed rose off the floor that he had dropped when the girl had ran into him, and picked his cell phone out of his pocket, speed dialing a number. He waited a moment, hearing a few rings until a feminine voice answered.

"Hello?"

The man sighed nervously and looked back at the ally way door before heading out of the store.

"Mikaela? We need to call Optimus…"

* * *

Amber jogged down another ally, listening to the distant revs of the cop car and glanced behind her a few times. She gasped and thought fast, spotting an old green dumpster to the left of the ally way. The revs became closer and closer, so she ran for it, diving behind the dumpster and heard the rocks crack and crumple under slow-moving rubber tires. She could see the flashing red and blue lights on the wall, holding her breath and feeling her heart beat and thump in her throat. It felt like an eternity of this horrible tension, praying to God that the cop didn't find her. Finally, she heard the sirens bleep once before she heard the car roll off, and her breath slowly escaped her in a relieved sigh.

She pressed her exhausted body against the red brick wall, breathing harshly with a dry throat and mouth. Her fingers dug into the dirt when the sudden pain from her feet struck through her, feeling millions of pins and needles dig their way through her nerves. She hesitated to look at them, petrified to see what had become of them. Her eyes slowly looked down and saw that her socks had been torn, and the bottom of her feet were bleeding, pink and black from being rubbed raw and cooked from the hot streets! She touched them lightly and winced at the stinging pain, so she bit her lips and tears welded up in her eyes, fighting the awful pain throughout her body. She decided to stay put instead of running, wanting someone to come pick her up and carry her away.

She took in a deep breath and looked up the sky, seeing the sun lower slowly. The smell of the dumpster next to her was horrid, but her nose was so burned from breathing that she really couldn't tell, and she swept broken glass from where she sat. She was tired, and her eyes felt heavy all of a sudden. She couldn't fall asleep, she had to stay awake and alert, especially without her knife.

She had worn herself out, and she couldn't help but give in to it. Her heart thumped loudly in her head, feeling like her eyes were about to explode and drowned out all other sounds of the world around her. The adrenaline was gone, and the paranoia was ignored when her eyes fluttered shut slowly. She didn't want to fall asleep, but she just couldn't stay awake, her body was too tired, all of her energy was gone, and her will was wearing thin. She slowly fell into a deep slumber sooner than she knew, and darkness consumed her.

* * *

Skids and Mudflap swerved playfully on the darkening streets of Tranquility, laughing and speeding on abandoned streets with the screeching of tires against the cooling pavement.

"Watch it, man! You almost dinged my rim!" Skids hissed and swerved to miss Mudflap.

"Oh stop being such a wuss." Mudflap laughed and bumped into Skids' bumper, making him shriek.

"Tag, you're it!" Mudflap taunted and sped off down the streets.

"Damn it, Mudflap!" Skids shouted and chased after his twin brother. Why he hung out with him, he would never know. He was the mature one, or at least he thought he was, and thought it was un-cool being seen with him, especially on streets like this.

"Get back here!" Skids called out and caught up to his giggling brother. "Man, we be here on duty, not for playin' tag." he said, and Mudflap slowed down, as did Skids.

"Fine, fine, party pooper." Mudflap complained and the two rolled along the quiet streets, staying silent.

"Look, Mudflap, my bro, my homie, we need to stay focused so Optimus will dig us? You know? We gotta be like, ninjas and keep it cool, you know?" Skids explained.

"Yeah, I feel ya."

"And if a Decepticon comes along, we got to get all up in his face and blow his aft to pieces, you know, get some swag from the others."

"I'm hearin ya, I'm hearin ya." Mudflap understood, after all, he always wanted to be like his heroes, especially Ironhide. They were the laughing stock of the Autobots, but they were determined to change that, and this mission could help them do just that.

Skids then gasped as an enemy signal appeared on his radars, and swerved into a dark ally way, making Mudflap follow, making small screeches from their small tires.

"What? What is it?" he asked nervously.

"_Shut up_, Decepticon coming _this way_." Skids hushed and Mudflap parked next to Skids.

"But I thought you said to get all up in his face?"

"Shut up! He's coming!" Skids whispered loudly and turned off his headlights, as did Mudflap. They waited a moment, hearing nothing but quiet streets, and Skids sensed the Decepticon coming closer and closer. They turned off their signals, which meant cutting off communication with the base team. This was just what they had wanted, to be in a real mission and living in dangerous moments like this. The rush was just worth it all as they nervously waited for the Decepticon roll by. Soon, the twins heard a quiet, revving engine come closer, and a black and white Mustang GT cop car slowly rolled by in front of the ally way, passing under the yellow street lights, and they could hear the tires roll over the pavement slowly. They were tempted to chase him, but it seemed like the Decepticon himself was looking for something. Skids waited a moment after the cop rolled by, not noticing the twins in the shadows, and he quietly followed the cop.

/_Skids, what the Hell are you doin'?_/ Mudflap asked over a com-link, and Skids peeked out to see the cop's red tail lights in the shadows slowly dizzolve away.

/_Come on, lets see what this guy is up to._/ Skids said and slowly followed the cop, and Mudflap rolled behind him.

/_Skids, this is pretty dangerous, man, lets just tell the others./_ Mudflap whimpered, but Skids didn't listen.

/_No man, we need to find out first, just trust me on this, bro./_ Skids said and the two took off to follow the Decepticon, unsure of what they might find out.

* * *

_I am terribly sorry for the delays due to technical problems. Updates will probably be irregular but I will do the best of my abilities to keep the updates regular. Reviews are greatly appreciated and once again, this story is to step up my game and better myself at writing, so constructive criticism is highly appreciated, just keep it nice because no one likes to have mean comments. :( Love you all!_


	5. Sinister Hero

_Apologies for the wait, but like I said, updates will be irregular. So, enjoy this new chapter and leave a review please, it really helps me out. Love you all :)_

_**WARNING**-The following chapter contains blood and violence, reader discreation is advised..._

* * *

Amber floated aimlessly in a dark, black abyss, feeling cold and lifeless as she stared into the shadows. She couldn't tell if her eyes were shut or open, and she couldn't tell if she was breathing or if her heart was still beating. However, in this black nothingness she was drifting away in, she felt calm and content, almost sleepy and relaxed. She tried to breath in, but she couldn't seem to control her body, like she was paralyzed. She couldn't even make herself panic, but why would she panic? Nothing was here, nothing was chasing her, there was nothing.

Nothing but the soft, faint music of a guitar…

Wait, music?

Amber listened carefully, hearing the soft strums of familiar notes that came from Candi, her favorite candy-apple red guitar. No other guitar had such a tune, and each tune that only her guitar played was like it was being strummed by angels. Each note combined with others in perfect harmony as graceful fingers plucked at the strings, and Amber heard each and every one of them, picturing each note in her head.

The notes were low and slow paced, a sad tune from an Evanescence song that Grace had played as a lullaby. Grace would take Amber's guitar and play each time Amber had the same nightmare of the cop chasing her up until she had turned 16, but now it was the opposite. The cop had chased her, and now her dream was playing the lullaby for her, which was probably the reason she wasn't breaking down and panicking. This was very odd, but Amber liked it, knowing she was safe in her dreams. And if she were to die, she would feel no pain, and she would feel no fear of death, because this was her world of peace... For now.

Amber slowly saw a soft yellow glow in the distance, resembling a spotlight that she had come to know and love, and she slowly drifted closer to it as it began to brighten. She gazed at it as it shined from nowhere, having no source and no star to shine down on.

Until, she saw an old dusty, wooden floor appear as well as a stool, and she looked around confusedly, not sure of where her dream was going with the plot, as all dreams should, but she tried to not think at all. She looked back at it and gasped, seeing herself sitting in the chair, playing her guitar slowly and gently, and Amber felt her feet hit the floor, and she could move her body. She didn't know what was going on, but she gazed at herself sitting in the chair, approaching her. Her mirror image didn't seem to take notice as Amber tried to get her attention, waving her hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Me?" Amber tried, listening to her voice as an echo repeated itself over and over. "Hm, weird dream…"

Amber straightened her posture and moved her hair out of her face, before hearing a deep growl, a rumble from a very familiar engine that struck fear in her soul everytime the noise clawed at her ears. Her mirror image disintegrated into thin air, as did the light afterwards, making her dream black dark once more. Her heart stopped and the color drained from her face as she heard the rev of the menacing engine from behind, and she hesitated to turn around and face it. She swallowed hard and shut her eyes, cautiously turning to face the other way, jumping when the engine roared angrily.

"No. Please, just leave me alone." Amber cried, feeling hot tears swell, but not one tear fell. She opened her eyes to see two bright headlights shine upon her, the same headlights that had haunted her for so long, and she felt like dropping to her knees in fear. The headlights came closer when the engine screamed in blinding fury, and Amber gasped, turning around and attempted to run. She didn't know where she was running to, or if she was moving at all, but she mostly felt like she was falling aimlessly. Chanting voices began to pound against her ears, and she felt hands tried to hold her feet down, and bright red, glowing eyes stared at her from all directions. The voices chanted so many things in her head, but she couldn't understand them. Some of them screamed things at her, others whispered ominous things, hearing "Death" in the back of her head. But what frightened her the most was the roar of the engine chasing her. It was the loudest, clearest thing she could always hear. The nightmare seemed like an eternity as she tried to run, fall, fly, anything to get away. She was so confused and lost, not knowing which way was which. She cried out, looking back to see the headlights come closer, slowly turning white to red as Amber struggled to keep away.

Then, as she tried to jump and hopefully fall away from the nightmare like she always did and try to end the dream, she felt something grab her foot and hold her down, making her trip and fall, only this time, she didn't wake up.

Amber screamed as she saw the headlights speed towards her, and she dug her nails into the ground, trying to claw herself further from the monster. She could then feel tears falling down her cheek as she cried and breathed loudly, trying to call out for help.

"No! Please! NO!" Amber wailed out, seeing the lights finally close in fast, and the last thing she could do was cover her head and curl up in defeat, accepting the fate, and the monster finally got her.

"NO!" Amber screamed as she lunged forwards from the brick wall, breathing heavily and crying hard when she finally awoke from her nightmare. She didn't believe she was awake, still seeing darkness around her. But then she realized that her nails were digging into dirt and concrete, and her bare skin shivered from the chill of fresh air. Amber blinked a few times to clear her fuzzy vision, seeing a bit of yellow light from a distant streetlamp that lit up the empty streets and sidewalk. Lightening struck behind far away storm clouds, but no thunder bellowed, yet Amber could smell the incoming rain. The light seemed painful to look at, and she started to wiggle her fingers and toes, making sure that they were still there. She then relaxed and fell back to the wall, slumping on the ground and sighed, wiping her tears and sweat from her face. That was probably the scariest nightmare she had ever had, seeing is how it was different and she was out on the streets…

"Oh no." she breathed as she realized she was still on the streets with no protection, and it was…_night_. She didn't mean to sleep, and if she did, she wouldn't have slept this late. She had to get back home before she was caught by the cop, or worse, the Montys.

Amber slowly sat up, feeling so sore all over. Her legs struggled to move, and her arms felt like bricks were tied them, and her throat burned from being so dry. Her chest throbbed painfully, and her eyes felt heavy. She was beyond tired, and she felt groggy, zombie-like almost. Her sore feet struggled to hold her weight as she slowly stood, leaning on the wall. It seemed like moving was a chore, feeling stiff and immovable when she tried to stand on her own. At this point, her willpower was the only thing keeping her from falling down and giving up. She was desperate to get home to Grace, Stacy, Carlos and Daniel, the only family she had left. She tried not to think of Vince, but the thought of family wasn't complete without him.

And with that, she started to cry again. Life at this point was so hard, it almost made her careless on whether or not she would make it home alive, but she knew that Grace would be torn up without her. Amber was the thing Grace cared about most, and even though Grace smoked, did drugs and sometimes sold them, drank, and starved herself, Amber still loved her as a sister and a mother. Grace constantly told Amber not to follow in her footsteps and to stay away from drugs and always eat. It made Amber sad to see that Grace couldn't do it herself.

Amber staggered along the ally way, keeping her balance and dried up her tears as she focused on walking instead of thinking why she had ran away in the first place. It didn't occur to her that she was still barefoot, and even though her wounds had scabbed up and dried, it still hurt to step on the small rocks of the ground. She winced and gasped as she stared down at the dark ground, holding her head as a massive headache kicked in. What she would give for a drink of water, just a sip, and her stomach felt like it was eating itself.

Which it probably was…

Amber had never been out so late alone, in fact, she had never been alone on the streets. She always had someone by her side at all times and always armed. It made her feel like a princess, but a childish one.

Amber sighed and stopped, taking a moment to wake up a little more and stared at the dark skies that lit up by lightning in blue and purple shades. She loved stormy weather, usually because the whole time growing up, her mother would sit by her side and sometimes fall asleep next Amber when it stormed. But when her father lost his job, he became a drunk and things were never the same. Amber was glad to be out of an abusive household, but in a way, she still loved her parents and wished they could be together again.

Maybe one day, they would, but for now, Grace and the others were her family, and Amber was thankful for it.

She rubbed the back of her head and pursed her lips in thought. She was 19 years old now, and on the streets fighting a gang war. The very thought was like a slap in the face with reality, and so, she started to walk again, cautious of any stalkers.

As Amber stepped carefully on the sidewalk towards home, taking caution in every step and looking over her shoulder every minute or so, paranoia kicked in. She crossed her arms and shied away into the shadows at every little sound in the distance, whether it was a cat crying in the night, or a horn from a near-by car. Many thoughts ran through her head at this point, not knowing if the demon cop was still chasing after her or if he had given up. She highly doubted it, but it didn't hurt to be too careful until she was safe at home.

Then, her heart jumped in her throat when she heard the screeching of tires and loud obnoxious laughs and taunting in the distance, making her leap behind a corner and hold her breath.

"_Nah nah nanah nah! Cant catch me, loser!"_ she heard one voice cackle, and two small cars swerved past the street she was hiding. One was lime green with black tire marks, the other, a rusty orange.

"_Get back here! You're so immature!"_

She didn't know why the cars were arguing, though she had a good idea why, but all she really cared about was not being seen by anyone or anything.

She waited a moment or two, listening to the two cars speed around a corner and disappearing before carefully getting up from her spot. Her hands still gripped the brick corner, shaking and feeling lightheaded and a bit off-balance. She was in no condition to run anymore, she was utterly exhausted, hungry, thirsty, weak, and it effected her awareness of the world. Her hearing seemed kind of fuzzy, like she had water in her ears, her sight wasn't as keen in the dark, and her sixth sense of movement around her had disappeared.

And yes, being on the streets in a gang war gave you a sixth sense, knowing if someone was near, feeling their presence around you like the prey of a tiger. She breathed in after holding her breath for so long and staggered away down the street, looking behind her. She didn't bother to look in front of her and began to jog tiredly, moving her hair from her eyes.

"Amber." she heard faintly, making her gasp and look forward, seeing a dark shadow in front of her. She didn't take two seconds to look closer at it, not caring who it was, and she couldn't really tell whose voice it was either. Her feet stopped and immediately turned her the other way, letting out a scream as she tried to run away from the shadow.

"N-NO! Get away!" Amber wailed out in a desperate gasp, but she felt a hand wrap around her arm before she could run away.

"Amber! Its me!" screamed a familiar voice and Amber stopped struggling, twirling around breathlessly to see teased hair and a small waist and skinny arms.

"G-Grace?" Amber shook and her blurry vision cleared up, and she could see Grace's soft, yet worried face stare at her. She was barely visable, but Amber could tell Grace was wearing her favorite turquoise blouse and white skinny jeans, Grace's favorite outfit.

"Yes, its me! Who else?" Grace snapped, jerking Amber closer and looked very irritated. Amber couldn't believe what she was seeing, Grace was alone too? Why did she come looking for her anyways? Grace never went out and looked for Amber alone, she was usually with Daniel or Vince.

"Grace!" Amber squealed and threw her arms around Grace happily, feeling safe as Grace hugged her back. She could describe it like a mother's embrace, feeling like there was nothing that could hurt you. Amber kept herself from crying, but Grace on the other hand, starting tearing up.

"Why are you out here alone?" Amber choked, and Grace pulled away, looking at her sternly.

"I could ask the same for you, this is Monty turf. And besides, you forgot this." Grace smirked and pulled Amber's pocket knife from her pocket, and Amber snatched it away, gazing at it like it had been years since she had laid eyes on it.

"Oh thank God! Thank you, Grace, I felt so scared without this."

"Next time, be sure to grab you necessities before you run away." Grace scoffed and turned away, wiping a tear from her eye as it threatened to fall. A long silence passed as Amber stuffed her knife in her pocket, then noticed Grace sniffling.

When Grace cried, it sounded like angel had just lost its wings. It was so beautiful, yet so sad to hear it, it made others around her cry, even if they had no reason to. It was that strong, but she didn't do it on just any occasion. She once broke her arm in three places and didn't even cry one tear, however, she screamed so loud with her strong voice that it busted the window in the doctor's office.

Amber looked down at her feet, tearing up as Grace turned around.

"What did they do with Vince today?" Amber mumbled sadly, and Grace breathed in, controlling her urge to cry out at the painful reality. She took a minute as she tried to hold back her cries.

"The police came and took him. They're going to investigate and they'll let us know when hes ready to go to the funeral home."

Amber breathed as she tried to control a whimper.

"Okay, well lets go home." Amber choked in a hidden cry, and Grace nodded.

* * *

"He was the only guy I would let you go around town with." Grace said as she walked down the street with Amber by her side. The storm looked ominous as it approached the town, lighting up the streets and rumbling all throughout the town with thunder.

"Yeah, Carlos and Daniel weren't as brave as he was." Amber agreed and looked up at the clouds. Grace didn't even notice them.

"He would try so hard to get me to eat. One time he shoved a tomato down my throat and a piece of ham. Did I ever tell you that story?" Grace asked with a smile and Amber shook her head. Vince and Grace looked like a perfect couple to anyone, but Grace always told him that she just wanted to be friends. Amber knew that Vince loved Grace, he always told her that, and he would ask Amber all kinds of questions about Grace. He was so good to Grace, always putting her fist, and taking all the beatings in gang fights. He had countless scars, all from throwing himself in front of a blade for her.

"Well, one night after a show before you came along, Stacy played the drums and Vince played base. Daniel played the guitar and I sang, but we decided to switch up things."

"Vince played base? Hold up, Stacy plays drums?" Amber looked dumbstruck, since she knew little of her friends' musical talents. Odd that she didn't.

"Uh huh, but that's not the point. Well, it had been a long night and I was so hungry, but I was on a diet. Vince said I was thin enough, so when we got home, he threw me against the wall, handcuffed me, tied up my legs, and put me on the couch. Now, I thought he had gone mad, but I heard him digging around in the kitchen and he brought out leftovers! At that point, I thought I was gonna bite his fingers off when he shoved a cherry tomato in my mouth. He covered my mouth, held my nose, and said that if I didn't swallow, I'd suffocate." Grace laughed, and Amber giggled.

"Then what happened?"

"I swallowed it, then he crammed a piece of ham down my throat. Most horrifying experience of my life." Grace finished with a chuckle.

"Is that why you're a vegetarian?" Amber asked.

"Part of it. I vowed that I would never eat another piece of meat and put twenty bucks on it."

"Did you ever lose the bet?"

"Nope. Six years and not one bite and twenty dollars richer."

Grace always told the best stories, and winning bets. She had so many memories with Vince and the others, since they practically grew up together. Amber wished she knew them for as long as Grace, but four years with them felt like her whole life, so she was happy.

"He would always pick me up and throw me in the pool. I loved it because for just a few seconds, I felt like I was flying." Amber chuckled, and Grace laughed.

"He did that to all of us, even Carlos and Daniel."

"At the same time?"

"Twice. He would pick me and Stacy up at the same time at the pool to show off. He was strong, stronger than Joe."

Amber scoffed. "No one is stronger than Joe. Why else is he the boss?"

"Because Vince didn't think he could lead a gang, Amber. He told you that, remember?"

"I still think he could've lead us anyway. He was just scared." Amber crossed her arms and saw Grace stop in her tracks, gasping. Her eyes widened like a frightened deer, and she looked all around.

"Hush. Did you hear that?" she whispered, but Amber didn't hear a thing since her hearing was still hazy.

"No, what is it?"

Grace waited, narrowing her eyes and pulled out yet another pocket knife from her bra, the place she always kept it since cops never felt there.

"Montys." she growled and Amber felt fear strike her heart, making it jump in her throat and her stomach to twist as Grace turned around, hiding her knife it her hand. Amber hesitated to turn, but even her fuzzy hearing picked up multiple footsteps coming up behind her. She turned around fast and saw the same hooded gang they saw at the diner, stalking up to the two girls. Even in the dark, Grace could see their smirks stretched across their faces. She wasn't afraid of Montys, and never backed down from a fight even if she was out numbered. Amber on the other hand… was not so brave, and was trembling as the gang finally approached them, surrounding them. One of the dark hooded Montys stepped up to Grace, towering over her and smiled deviously. She smirked and put her hand on her hip, leaning on her leg like he was an immature toddler.

"Hey there, Grace, miss me?" he said coldly, as they glared at each other. Grace could see the scar over his eye and his lip ring, instantly making her recognize him.

"Zeke, how could I forget a pretty face like yours?" she grinned sarcastically and Zeke crossed her arms over his chest.

"Wish I could say the same for you, bitch. So tell me, why are two little girls such as yourselves out this late without your body guards? Finally fighting your own battles?" Zeke taunted, causing the other Montys to chuckle. Grace clicked her tounge against her teeth, looking down with a pissed expression.

"I've stuck more knives in your guys' gut than you've stuck your di-"

"Grace! Shush!" Amber whispered loudly and stopped Grace from finishing her comment.

"Yeah, you should listen to her, because you're starting to piss me off." Zeke growled and Grace held out her knife, flipping it open and pointed it at him threateningly.

"You wanna go? I don't care if you have a gun, I am no coward and I will run you through." she hissed, narrowing her eyes and Zeke just smiled. He then, just as Amber feared, pulled out a gun from under his shirt and held the barrel up to Grace's face. Amber gasped and backed up fast into a Monty, and he gripped her arms and restrained her. Amber kicked and tried to pull away, only hearing the laughs of the gang as she struggled against her captor.

Zeke sneered as he took the safety off his gun, but Grace didn't move. She just narrowed her eyes and glared at him, not setting eyes on the gun once.

"So, not afraid of this, baby?" Zeke taunted as the other gang members moved from out behind her to ensure they wouldn't get hit by a bullet. Amber breathed hard in shock and fear as Zeke put the gun to Grace's forhead.

"Grace!" Amber cried out and stomped on the foot of the Monty holding her, then elbowed him in the face as he loosened his grip on her arms, allowing her to rip herself away. Two other Montys tried to grab ahold of her, but she was too fast as she leapt at Zeke. Everything seemed to slow as adrenaline ran through Amber's veins once more. She flew in the air, wrapping her hands around Zeke's arm that held the gun, and Grace screamed.

"Amber, no!"

Grace's voice was a mire echo in Amber's head, and she pulled at Zeke's arm as he tried to pull away from her.

"Get off!" he shouted as Amber sqeezed the gun, trying to rip it from his hands.

"No!" Amber grunted loudly. Grace tried to move away, as did the other Montys as chaos took over with everyone shouting. Two Montys tried to pull Amber off of Zeke, but as Amber squeezed harder and harder, a sound stopped all time, her heart as well.

**BANG!**

Amber gasped and her eyes widened as the sound of the gun echoed in her head and shook the inside of her chest. There was one question in her head that echoed like the sound of the gun shot.

What did the gun shoot?

Amber's eyes wandered around nervously and she saw Grace, looking sickly and pale. She stepped backwards, and gasped out as she stared at Amber, holding her chest painfully. Amber didn't know what was happening as the Montys stepped back, looking stunned. Amber let go of the gun gently, and Zeke was frozen in his place as Grace's legs wobbled. Blood slowly seeped from the side of her mouth, and tears welded up in her eyes as slow, shaking breaths escaped her lungs. Amber noticed a blood stain growing on her shirt and seeping in between her finers, near her heart, and the realization made Amber lose her breath.

She had shot Grace!

Grace stumbled back and collapsed on the pavement, and Amber couldn't think or do anything as Grace lied still on her back. Then she heard a faint whisper escape Grace as the Montys backed up a little, not really intending to shoot anybody.

"_run_…" Grace coughed out as she reached out to Amber, and Amber pursed her lip, dashing away from the gang.

"Get her!" Zeke shouted and ran after Amber. The others followed, leaving Grace behind as she bled out on the pavement. With her few short breaths and little energy, Grace pulled out her blood-stained phone, dialing 911 and let the phone fall on the ground.

"_911, whats your emergency?"_ a woman picked up, but Grace didn't answer.

* * *

Amber panted and cried as she ran down an ally way, hearing thunder rumble loudly behind her. She could feel cold droplets of rain hit against her arms, legs, and chest, feeling like pin needles in her skin. Cool wind blew against her face as the rain began to pour, soaking Amber from head to toe and rinsing off the dirt and grime.

"Get back here!" one of the Montys screamed as they began to catch up to her. Amber was exhausted, and not running as fast as she did during the day. Her ankles ached and the bottom of her feet became raw again. Her lungs burned and her throat was dry and felt like she was swallowing sand. Her abdomen cramped painfully and her legs quickly numbed once more. She couldn't go any further as she ran into a dead end. The ally way was sealed off by a tall chain-link fence, and she leaned on it, wrapping her fingers around the thin wireing, looking up and saw no hope of climbing over. She rested her head on the fence as her arms struggled to hold her up, and the rain dripped from her hair and ran down her face. Tears camouflaged with the rain drops as she cried, slowly sinking to the ground in defeat as she heard the Montys approach her, laughing.

This is the end, this is where she was going to die. They were going to kill her, torture her first, and the very thought of it brought back the memories of her abusive father. He had laughed like that when he made Amber cry, he made her suffer everyday, but the end was near. She would be at peace soon, she may even get to see Grace and Vince on the other side.

"Aint nowhere you can hide." Zeke said, and Amber kneeled on the ground, turning her head to him.

"Im not trying to." she mumbled as the rocks of the wet concrete dug into her weak knees. She saw the Montys, looking like Grim Reapers with water dripping from their dark hoods, reading to kill her. Her bruised heart pounded painfully in her chest as Zeke closed in on her, pulling out his switch blade from his pocket. Amber didn't bother to move as she accepted this fate, and he grabbed her by her hair, digging his fingers in her head brutally. He knelt down to her as she gasped and gritted her teeth in pain, not moving her arms at all to try to stop him. Amber remembered that she still had her knife and pulled it from her pocket and flipped it open. She went to stab it in his arm, but her arm was too weak to puncture through his leather jacket, and the tip just slipped from it like a flimsy piece of paper. Zeke simply tore it away from her hand and smashed it on the ground, making it break and shatter the handle. He held his knife up to her face and she watched it sparkle in the light from the street lamp behind the fence. Water dripped from its sharp tip as he turned it all around for her to see.

"Ya know, I wasn't really gonna shoot your friend, I was just gonna have fun with you guys first. But seeing is how a bullet was fired anyways, I cant have any witnesses running around." Zeke said, running the sharp end of the blade under Amber's chin lightly, giving her goose bumps and shivers down her spine.

"I thought you liked to take responsibility for murders?" Amber snickered, and Zeke swiped the blade on Amber's cheek fast, making a one inch cut that began to bleed and mix with rain water. Amber gasped as the cut began to sting and seep scarlet blood that ran down her cheek and neck.

"I do, but I didn't murder her," he said lowly, making Amber's eyes widen. Zeke pulled Amber's head back and placed the blade on her neck, ready to slit her throat.

"You did."

Amber wanted to cry and tried to gasp something out as Zeke put pressure on the blade, making the sharp side dig slowly into her soft skin, but the sound of a very familiar engine roared in her ears, louder than the thunder that cracked when lightning struck. Zeke stopped as the blade cut in her skin, making it bleed. He immediately pulled away the knife and looked back, and let go of Amber's hair before quickly standing up. Bright headlights shined in Amber's face as she fell to the ground, landing in a puddle of water. She shielded her eyes to see the gang members step away from the same cop car that had chased her earlier that day. She breathed in awe as the cop's headlights dimmed a little, and Zeke dropped his knife and held up his hands.

"Officer, this isn't what it looks like!" Zeke shouted over the rain with a nervous smile, seeing if the cop was stepping out from his car as expected, but the cop just stayed put. Amber sat up as pushed against the fence, looking terrified and curled in her legs. The rain sparkled in the headlights and tapped the hot hood of the car as it rumbled and growled.

"Look man, we don't want any trouble-" one Monty said as he tapped the window of the cop's door, and the door opened fast, whacking the Monty hard and slammed him into the brick wall! The others squealed and scattered in horror as the hood folded back and a large gun rose from the engine, aiming at them and began to shoot! One by one, the Montys fell with blood draining from their bodies and mixing with water and splattering on the walls. The loud sounds of the firing gun echoed all around and light flashed from the barrel, making Amber scream and cover her ears. Zeke dove behind a dumpster as his other gang members fell dead on the ground and pulled out his gun.

Amber looked to see the gun retract back in the hood with steam and smoke rising in the air, and the same cop she saw at the diner stepped out from the car, staring at her as he set his hand on the door. His sunglasses dripped with rainwater, and his dark blue suit turned black as it became soaked. Amber didn't know if her eyes were going bad, but she thought she saw red eyes glow behind his sunglasses as he stared down at her menacingly.

"Get in!" he shouted roughly, and Amber didn't hesitate, getting up from her spot and ran tiredly to the passenger side door that opened by itself. She dove in and heard gun fire go off, and sparks flew when the bullets started hitting her door! It hit the glass, but it didn't shatter, only rebounding as Zeke fired at her. The door slammed shut as Amber screamed and curled up in the leather seat and the cop climbed in too with no expression. Amber's seatbelt threw itself over her and tightened, slightly squeezing the breath from her sore lungs. He grasped the steering wheel and the car jolted back, making Amber put her hands on the dashboard to keep herself from hitting it. She heard the tires screech loudly as the car sped down and out of the ally way, and the engine roared over the sound of rain smacking the roof.

"Hold on." the cop said as his sunglasses dissolved away, revealing furious hazel eyes that stared at Zeke as the car drove backwards out from the ally. Amber stared at him in awe before flinching as sparks flew from flying bullets, but the cop just smiled as he pushed a button on his radio consol.

On the side of the passenger door, a missile ejected out and aimed at Zeke, and fire flew from the end as it launched! Zeke lowered his gun as he saw it spinning towards him and was frozen in his place.

"_Shit…"_

Amber screamed as she saw a massive explosion erupt in the rear-view mirror when the car sped off, covering her eyes and quivering in terror as she turned away from the cop that had a devious smile stretched across his face. He looked over at Amber and his smile dropped before he paid attention to the road, pushing the drive stick and drove even faster down the dark road. The engine roared even louder as the car sped up, frightening Amber even more. She didn't know what was going on, but she prayed it was just a dream, or at least…a nightmare.

* * *

_Well there you have it, chapter 5 where things speed up. I will gladly recieve any constructive critism, keep reviews clean, and let me know what you think. ;) Thank ya much._


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